Second Chances
by drewandian
Summary: Ripple Effect" Tag


Second Chances

Some of the dialogue is taken from the episode "Ripple Effect". No copyright infringement was intended.

Sam couldn't believe her eyes when Martouf stopped to stand in the doorway. It had never really occurred to her that there would be other configurations of SG-1, although now that she thought of it, it made sense. And, she realized, if Martouf was here, that meant that Janet might be too. . .

Sam met Martouf's gaze and could feel her face flush pink as she smiled widely.

"Martouf!" she walked toward him, meeting him in the middle of the room. They smiled at one another, suddenly feeling awkward as they realized that they were the center of attention for 17 other Samantha Carters and one Dr. Lee. "Um, let's go grab a coffee from the commissary . . . "she stuttered, looking around at the identical sets of blue eyes watching them.

"Good idea, Samantha." Martouf answered, also taking in all the prying eyes and turning to guide her through the room and out the door. Once in the hall, Sam stopped, turning to take a good look at Martouf.

"I've missed you." Sam's voice cracked and she felt her face flush again. "My Martouf . . . well, not **MY **Martouf," her face flushed darker, "but the Martouf from this, my, reality, died years ago. It's a little surreal, standing here, talking to you now." She bit her bottom lip and fought to control the tears that were welling in her eyes.

"Were you . . . involved, "Martouf smiled gently as Sam raised an eyebrow, "here, in your reality?"

"Um no, "Sam sighed and shifted uncomfortably. "No . . . our Martouf ended up being a za'tarc.... I . . . ah." Sam paused to clear her throat as her voice cracked. "I . . . God . . . he was going to self-destruct, I guess you could call it, and he begged for my help. I ended up killing him with my zat. "Her voice trailed off as tears filled her eyes again. Martouf smiled softly at Sam and brushed a tear from her cheek.

"We were never romantically involved . . . I . . . um . . . well let's just say it was complicated." Sam turned her face away from Martouf and angrily swiped away the tears that had trailed down her cheeks. She took a deep breath to calm herself and motioned for Martouf to follow her to the mess hall.

They walked silently side by side, filling their trays and finding an empty table. Sam absently noted how comfortable it was to just "be" with Martouf; how comfortable he was in her company. It made her wonder about his relationship with the Samantha Carter in his reality and how he came to be a member of SG-1.

Sam listened as Martouf told her how they had been in a long distance relationship and about how he had joined SG-1 to be closer to her. She felt a pang of sadness for him when he explained that they had split up and that she was now in a relationship with someone else. He gave her a beaming smile and Sam felt herself flush again.

"I can't imagine how you must feel, seeing me after all this time . . . "Martouf took Sam's hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"Well . . . it certainly threw me for a loop . . . but it is really good to see you again." Sam squeezed his hand in return, reluctant to break that contact with him.

"It was my fault that we never got together. It took me a long time to come to terms with everything that had happened with Jolinar. I had a lot of trouble sorting out her feelings from mine. When I finally figured it all out, it was too late . . . "Sam trailed off, lost in her memories of the za'tarc incident. She shook her head, trying to chase the memories away.

"We should probably get to work on a way to get everyone home again." Sam sighed, dropping Martouf's hand and standing up.

~*~*~*~

Sam tried to focus on what Kvasir was saying, but the combination of fatigue and 'feeling' Martouf in the room were becoming too much for her to bear. She could feel him, smell him, practically hear his thoughts . . .

Sam made her apologies to Kvasir and walked over to Martouf. She gently touched his back to get his attention. Martouf turned to face her, gently smiling at her.

"I'm sorry this is working the way it should. I am sure you'd like to get home . . . "Sam started apologetically. "I'm sure your Samantha Carter is working on a solution in your reality too."

"She stopped being my Samantha some time ago." Martouf smiled sadly at Sam.

"I've missed you." Sam answered, moving in toward Martouf, her lips parting slightly. Just as they were about to kiss, Sam felt someone watching her and looked down to see Kvasir watching them intently. She looked at him quizzically.

"I've found the problem, Col. Carter, and should be able to fix it in no time." The small gray alien told her, looking back and forth between the couple in front of him and blinking his big black eyes slowly.

"Thank you, Kvasir, I appreciate that. I think I'm going to, ah, go get some sleep before we have to brief General Landry in the morning." She answered him, stuttering slightly.

Sam smiled at Martouf, her cheeks flushing pink, leading him out of her lab, toward her personal quarters.

"It's not much . . . "Sam started apologetically, stepping aside to let Martouf enter her small room. She closed the door and turned to face Martouf. She leaned against the door and met his blue eyes with hers.

Martouf's lips lifted into slight smile and he slowly leaned his head toward Sam's. She gradually moved to meet him halfway, her lips parting slightly. Sam's breath caught the moment their lips touched, hesitantly at first, then growing in intensity as their passion grew.

Martouf pushed Sam back into the door, pinning her between it and his body. His hand snaked up under her BDU jacket, his fingers stroking her sides through her T-shirt.

Sam shivered involuntarily at Martouf's touch and moved her hand to the nape of his neck, pulling him closer. Martouf pulled her t-shirt free from her pants and slid his hands along her sides, his fingers splayed along her rib cage, thumbs caressing the undersides of her breasts. Sam gasped at the feel of his warm hands on her skin and could feel his lips curl into a smile against hers.

Martouf smirked, chuckling slightly at her reaction and slid a thumb under the elastic of Sam's bra, teasing her nipple until it was a hard peak. He broke their kiss as Sam gasped again. She caught a brief glimpse of his smirk and the gleam in his eyes as he moved to kiss her neck and behind her ear.

Sam felt herself go weak at the knees as he rained kisses down her neck and across her collar bone, his hand pushing her bra out of the way and cupping her breast. Sam claimed his mouth with hers and moved her hands around to Martouf's shoulders. She pushed his jacket off of him, letting it fall to the floor, and ran her hands over his chest, bringing them to rest on his belt buckle. She walked him back toward the bed, pushing him onto it and climbing up to straddle his hips.

Martouf pushed Sam's jacket off of her and pulled her t-shirt over her head. He gazed at Sam and she noticed a look of sadness flicker across his face before he had a chance to hide it. At that moment, the surrealness of the situation struck Sam and she pulled back.

"Wait!" she whispered, trying to catch her breath. She sat up, pushing herself down onto him. The feel of his hard length against her made Sam squirm involuntarily and she couldn't help but giggle as Martouf's eyes closed and he grimaced.

"Oh, sorry!" She scooted herself back and settled onto his thighs. Martouf reached up and put his hands on Sam's hips. He met her blue eyes with his and she could see the apologies forming there.

"Don't . . . don't apologize . . . it's OK. I just need a minute." Sam sighed as she finally caught her breath. "This is all just a little surreal I mean, in my reality, Martouf and I never got this far . . . we'd never even kissed. I just need a minute to process this all."

"I understand. It's been a while since I've been allowed to be this intimate with you . . . well, her really ... and I may have gotten carried away a bit." Martouf grinned sheepishly, his fingers caressing Sam's hips. Sam smiled at him, a blush slowly creeping across her cheeks.

"That's some effect I have on you!" she teased, grinning wider when a chuckle rumbled through him.

"I'm just not sure it's such a good idea to start this though. What if we find a way to send you back? It's going to be hard enough, losing you again. If we do this and you leave again. . I. . . I just don't think I could go through that." Sam's resolve crumbled and tears welled in her eyes.

Martouf's heart broke for her as he looked into her eyes, so open to him, more than his Samantha's ever had been. Sam could feel the walls she'd built so long ago to protect herself starting to collapse, and for the first time in her life did nothing to stop it.

"There's more," she started, putting her fingers to Martouf's lips to shush him as he began to speak. "You've already lost me once too, and I saw the sadness in your eyes. I can't be responsible for hurting you like that again." She caressed his cheek softly before bringing her hand to rest on his stomach. "We need to think and talk about this before we make any rash decisions."

"Always my logical Samantha." Martouf said with a touch of sadness in his voice. "Have you ever just let yourself feel without worrying about the ramifications? Just let go . . . forget the 'what ifs' . . . let your heart speak louder, just this once." Martouf closed his eyes and shook his head to stop her reply.

"The only regret I have from my failed relationship with my Samantha is that I could never teach her that. She never learned to completely let go. At least not with me." He sighed the last bit, but not bitterly as Sam had expected him to.

They held each other's gaze for what seemed like an eternity while Sam thought about what Martouf said. His words turned over and over in her head and Sam realized that he was right. Never once in her life had she done anything without calculating the risk and if that risk was worth taking.

Deciding to deal with the consequences when they came and to finally just let go, Sam took a deep breath and leaned down to place a kiss on Martouf's neck. She closed her eyes and reveled in the warmth and smoothness of his skin against her lips, drinking in his scent, getting drunk off of him.

She kissed down his neck, breaking the contact only long enough to pull his t-shirt over his head. Sam ran her hands over Martouf's chest, marveling at the softness of his skin covering the hardness of his rippling muscles. She rained kisses over his chest, her hands working his belt buckle and pulling his pants away.

Sam sat back and just took a minute to take in the sight of the man beneath her. It occurred to Sam that this Martouf had been privy to her, or some version of her anyway, most intimate secrets for some time, which she knew only what Jolinar had left behind. She pushed the though away, determined not to over think things this time.

Her eyes swept up his body, and she flushed slightly as she drank in the sight of his smooth, tanned skin and tight, toned muscles. She ran her hands lightly over his abdomen, smirking when she felt him shiver slightly.

She leaned down and claimed his mouth with hers, her tongue exploring his mouth with a ferocity that surprised them both. Her hands continued their exploration as well, traveling further down his body. She felt his response immediately and wrapped her hand around his considerable length. Sam began to stroke him gently but steadily, teasing him just a little bit.

Martouf moaned into her mouth and his hips bucked, urging her on. He moved his hands from her hips, stroking her back gently and removing her bra. He moved his hands around to cup her breasts again, his thumbs stroking her already firm nipples. Her breath caught in her throat and she hissed at the contact.

She broke their kiss and moved to straddle his hips again, sitting up and meeting his eyes with hers. Martouf determinedly held Sam's gaze while he lightly ran his hands down her sides. Her breath caught again as he brushed the sides of her breasts and she couldn't help but squirm a bit when he caressed her sides. Martouf chuckled and took advantage of her distraction to flip her over onto her back, pinning her beneath him.

Sam squeaked in protest and tried half heartedly to wriggle away. She quickly gave up when Martouf slid his hand between her thighs, firmly stroking her center through her pants. Sam moaned his name, her hips rotating involuntarily. Martouf slowly peeled her pants away, taking a moment to drink in her pale, smooth skin. She flushed and squirmed slightly under his scrutiny, wondering what, if any, differences he saw between herself and the Samantha Carter he knew.

Martouf saw the questions in her eyes and placed kisses on her stomach to silence them. He kissed the insides of her thighs, his hand moving to stroke and tease her again. Sam couldn't help but cry out, her hips rising up to meet his hand. Martouf moved his mouth to her center, teasing her with his lips and tongue until he felt her begin to shake beneath him.

He slid up her body, dropping kisses along her stomach and pausing briefly to tease her nipples with his tongue. Sam took his face in her hands and pulled his mouth to hers. He settled himself between her legs and they both hissed at the contact.

He slowly and gently pushed against her opening, giving her a chance to adjust to his size. She rocked her hips against him, wrapping her long legs around his hips, giving him better access. He thrust into her one more time, burying himself deep inside her. Sam held him to her, reveling in the fullness she felt. Martouf lowered his head to kiss Sam behind her ear, pausing to suck on her earlobe.

He met her gaze, holding it as he began to move inside of her. Sam's eyes widened at the sensation of him thrusting into her and she forced herself to stop thinking and just feel. She rocked her hips against him again, moving in sync with the pumping of Martouf's hips. She could feel the tension coiling low in her belly as he began to move against her faster until it finally built up and broke over her in waves. She cried out Martouf's name as she felt herself tighten around him. Martouf thrust into her one last time, shuddering slightly as she milked him dry.

Martouf kissed Sam again, reluctant to break the contact between them. He placed his forehead against hers and waited for their breathing to slow. Finally he moved off of her, rolling to his back and pulling Sam into his side. She rested her head on Martouf's chest, her arm wrapped around his waist.

"Are you all right?" Martouf asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Mmm hmmm" Sam nodded, not quiet ready for her brain to re-engage. She sighed contentedly, snuggling tighter to Martouf's side. Sam felt like she was floating and she never wanted to come back down. She couldn't help but think about how lucky they both were to get a second chance. Trouble was, she wanted more, and Martouf being from another reality had the potential to make that a little difficult.

She knew there was no way that General Landry would let her go back with him, and to be honest, she didn't think that was that great of an idea anyway. His reality already had one Samantha Carter and her reality needed her here to help fight the Ori. Sam also knew that it would be unfair for her to ask Martouf to give up his fight against the Ori in his reality. Sam sighed heavily and Martouf chuckled.

"Couldn't keep that brain quiet for too long, could you?" he asked quietly, a hint of sadness in his tone. "I know what you're thinking . . . I wish there was any easy solution." Martouf sighed and ran his hand up and down Sam's back. "We don't even know if I can go back yet. Let's just take advantage of the time we know we have and worry about the rest later." He dropped a kiss on her head. Sam was pretty sure she heard a challenge in there somewhere. She propped herself up on her elbow and met his eyes with hers, accepting the challenge with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Her free hand slid down Martouf's chest, coming to rest low on his abdomen, even with his hips. She kissed his lips softly and slid down to kiss his chest. She kept moving downward, peppering his chest and stomach with feather light kisses. She was surprised to feel him hardening again so soon. She wrapped her hand around his hardening length and flicked her eyes to his for a brief moment. The brief eye contact seemed to fortify her and helped her make a decision. She lowered her head and took his length into her mouth, chuckling quietly when Martouf gasped.

She took her time, exploring and teasing him with her tongue, grinning when his hips bucked up to meet her.

"Samantha" Martouf grunted, taking her face in his hands and pulling her mouth to his. When the need to breath finally became too great, Sam pulled away and lowered herself onto Martouf, taking him completely in one swift, smooth motion. She let her body adjust, letting him fill her comfortable before she started to slowly ride him.

Martouf gazed up at Sam, drinking in the sight of her pink-tinged skin. He moved his hands from where they rested on her hips and brought them up to caress the rippling muscles of her abdomen. He moved to fondle her breasts, paying special attention to her already taut nipples. The contact broke Sam's concentration and her slow steady rhythm faltered. She glared at Martouf's smirk and started moving more quickly. Her eyes twinkled mischievously when Martouf's smirk was replaced by a gasp. Martouf's hands came to rest on Sam's hips again, his fingers digging into the soft flesh as the tension built between them. Sam moved faster as the warmth grew in her belly, until her release crashed over her in waves. She could feel Martouf's hand tense at her hips as he pumped into her one last time. She shuddered as she felt his release pulsing inside her.

Unable to hold herself up anymore, Sam collapsed onto Martouf's chest, his arms coming up to wrap themselves around her. Sam laid on Martouf until their breathing finally slowed, reluctant to move but realizing that they couldn't sleep like this either. She sighed deeply and raised her head, meeting Martouf's gaze.

Martouf ginned cheekily at Sam and placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "I'm glad you got over whatever hang-ups you had about my counterpart." He quipped, laughing when Sam swatted him playfully.

"It's just lucky for you that I did." She answered back with a grin. She rolled off of Martouf and cuddled up to his side. She reached down and pulled the sheet over them, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You know we will have to talk about what comes next, right?" Sam asked softly. She could feel Martouf's chuckle rumble through him.

"Not tonight, Samantha, not tonight." Martouf murmured sleepily. She felt him kiss the top of her head and turned to kiss his neck.

"Right now, "he continued softly, "we sleep."

~*~*~*~

Sam woke slowly and stretched, starting slightly when she felt another body in the bed with her. It had been a while since she had woken in someone's arms and it threw her off balance for a minute. Then the memories of the night before came flooding back and she smiled, rolling over to wrap her arms around Martouf's chest.

"Good morning" she greeted him, placing a kiss on his neck.

"Mmmm . . . morning." He replied with a smile, kissing her on the forehead.

"So . . ." Sam started with a sigh. "I'm expected to come up with a way to get everyone home." Martouf could hear the reluctance in Sam's voice. "I know everyone needs to go, to save their realities from the Ori. I just can't help but wish . . ." Sam trailed off.

Martouf sighed and tightened his arms around Sam, drawing her up so he could kiss her gently on the lips. "I know." He whispered. "And I've been thinking about it. Janet has been a terrific addition to the team in your absence . . . perhaps she could replace me if . . . well . . . something should happen and I ended up stuck here." Martouf smiled sheepishly at Sam. "It could happen, you know." He shrugged a twinkle in his eye.

"I can't ask you to give up everything and everyone you know . . . again . . . just to satisfy my own selfish agenda. I won't ask you to do that!" Sam kissed him again and moved to get out of bed. Martouf grabbed her around the waist, pulling back into his embrace.

"You . . . she . . . never asked me to leave everyone behind. I chose to, because being with her was all I could think about. All I wanted. And I know that you would never ask me to that. However, I want to. My reality holds little for me now . . . she's moved on, gotten married, is on maternity leave." Sam's eyes widened at this revelation. "I can just as easily and readily fight the Ori here, in your reality, as I can in my own. I can't let the chance at a full and happy life with you slip away twice. I won't lose you again . . ." he searched her face for an answer, for any indication that she wanted the same thing.

Sam took a deep breath and smiled softly at Martouf. "I need to think . . . "she snorted softly. "Of course I do." Sam shook her head at herself. "Look, it may not even matter . . . if I can't find a way to fix this, everyone will be staying here."

She didn't' even want to consider the implications. Sam leaned in to kiss Martouf deeply and scooted out of the bed, heading to the shower.

~*~*~*~

Sam rolled her head and shoulders, trying to loosen the tense muscles there. She had been poring over all the data in her laptop for hours, and with the help of one of her alternate selves, had finally found a solution. She decided to take a short break before presenting her findings to General Landry.

She headed to the commissary for a cup of coffee, lost in her own thoughts. Martouf's suggestion kept rolling around in her head. Could she really accept his offer to stay here with her? Was she really ready for that kind of a commitment with anyone, let alone him? She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't see Janet coming out of the infirmary and plowed right into her, almost knocking the petite doctor to the ground.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" Sam started, grabbing her by the arms and steadying her. "Janet!?" she smiled widely and pulled Janet into a tight hug. "I had heard that you were here with Martouf and his team!" Sam could feel her face flush pink at the mention of Martouf.

"Yes, "Janet answered, her eyebrows raising at the flush covering Sam's face. "I was hoping to run into you!"

"I was just on my way to get some coffee. Join me?" Sam asked, smiling widely when Janet nodded in agreement. The two women got their mugs of coffee and found a table in a quiet corner.

"God, it's so good to see you again . . . alive!" Sam said.

"I have to say, the news of my . . . well your Janet's . . . death came as a shock. I'm sorry if it's hard for you to see me." Janet smiled apologetically.

"A shock, yes; hard, a little. But it's so good to see you and talk to you again! I've missed you!" Sam blinked away the tears that welled in her eyes. They spent a few minutes catching up when Sam decided to talk to Janet about Martouf and his offer.

"I don't know how much Daniel's told you" Sam started, "but we lost our Martouf as well, during the whole za'tarc mess. It's been an . . . adjustment . . . seeing him again too."

"I can't even imagine!" Janet smiled sympathetically. "Were you and your Martouf . . . involved?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, no it was taking me a while to work through what my feelings were within the jumble of feelings Jolinar had left behind. By the time I had started to figure out that I wanted to be with him, Martouf had become compromised and had tried to kill himself. I fired the zat that killed him." Sam dropped her eyes to the mug in her hands, again fighting back tears. Janet reached across the table and took one of Sam's hands in hers.

"And then here we come, years later . . ."Janet's voice trailed off, and she shook her head.

"Right . . . and it all comes flooding back . . . and I think to myself 'here's my . . . our . . . second chance!' And I let him convince me that it's a good idea to let go and stop thinking." Sam stopped talking suddenly and felt her face turn pink again as she realized what she had almost shared with Janet.

Janet squeezed Sam's hand and smiled warmly. "I think I can guess where things went . . . and I can't say I'm surprised. He and our Sam are still friends, but I'm sure he wouldn't pass up a second chance either."

"Janet, he's offered to stay behind. To stay here for, with, me. I don't know if I can let him do that." Sam searched Janet's face, as though she was trying to find the answer in the doctor's brown eyes.

"I can't say that I'm surprised. I do know that he still loves you . . . her . . . very much. But . . . do you love him?" Janet asked, knowing that even asking that question point blank did not guarantee a straight answer. Some things about the woman sitting across from her were the same in every reality. The pink that tinted Sam's cheeks told Janet everything she needed to know, even before Sam nodded her head yes.

"I think I do . . . or could. But, it's a big step to take and huge sacrifice for him to make." Sam sighed, wishing there was an easy solution.

"Sam, honey, I think he's already decided that it's a risk worth taking. My advice? Don't think too hard." She smiled at Sam's chuckle. "Let yourself feel . . . and just go with it." Janet squeezed Sam's hand again and moved to stand up. Sam sighed heavily and pushed herself away from the table. She moved around to hug Janet again.

"Thank you." She murmured, reluctantly letting the tiny doctor go. "God I'm gonna miss you when you go!" Janet squeezed Sam's hands before releasing her.

"Go, find Martouf. Tell him your decision." Janet smiled widely at Sam. "Good luck!" she giggled as Sam grimaced slightly.

~*~*~*~

"Martouf?" Sam called his name as she entered her lab, closing the door behind her.

"Samantha. I was just looking over your notes. It's great that you've found a way to get everyone back to where they belong." He shifted uncomfortably.

Sam opened her mouth to speak, only to produce a soft squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"Not everyone . . ." she started, smiling as she saw the realization of the meaning of her words dawn on him.

"Are you . . . are you sure?" Martouf asked, closing the space between them in a few steps.

Sam nodded, not trusting her voice at all now. She took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally broke their kiss and smiled widely at Martouf.

"I think it's time to go talk to General Landry." She said, picking up her notes and leading him out of her lab.

~*~*~*~

Five years later . . .

Sam woke slowly and stretched uxoriously. She couldn't help the big smile that spread across her face. She rolled over and snuggled closer to the man laying next to her, kissing his neck softly.

"Mmmm . . . "he sighed. "Good morning." He smiled, tilting her face down to kiss her lips softly.

"Happy anniversary, Martouf." Sam said softly, reeling a bit at the words.

"Happy anniversary." He answered back, smiling broadly, his eyes shining.

Life was definitely good, Sam thought. The Ori were finally defeated, as were the Go'auld. The galaxy was finally safe, at least for now anyway. She and Martouf had been given a second chance; they had taken their time and were now celebrating their first wedding anniversary. And now, after all the sacrifices they had both made through out the decades, it was all about to pay off. Sam pushed herself up onto one elbow and gazed into Martouf's blue eyes.

"Martouf, I have some news. . . "She started, dropping a kiss on his lips. Martouf laid still, knowing he'd have to let her tell him in her own time. "I'm, well, we're, um . . ." she cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Martouf, you're going to be a daddy! I'm pregnant!" she blurted out, laughing at the shocked look on his face.

Martouf swept Sam into his arms, kissing her until she was breathless. "Samantha, I love you!" he whispered in her ear, smiling when she blushed.

"I love you too." She answered, gasping has he flipped her to her back and settling himself between her legs.

Life was good indeed.

~fin~


End file.
